So you want to write a book? Bless your heart.
Typewriter. Coffee. Tears. Repeat.
If you’re starting out, a beginner’s guide to writing a book might just make this process a bit easier. Welcome to my beginner’s guide to writing a book.
Writing a book is like riding a roller coaster in the dark. While blindfolded. And being pelted with popcorn by your inner critic. ~The Old Guy~
So, you’ve decided to write a book. That’s adorable. You’ve probably told someone already and were met with one of three responses:
- “That’s awesome!” (They will never read it.)
- “What’s it about?” (Cue panic.)
- “Do you have a publisher yet?” (Bless them. They don’t know.)
Before you grab your laptop and your grande cup of determination, allow me to offer you this Beginner’s Guide to Writing a Book. It’s real. It’s honest. And if nothing else, it might save you from sobbing into your thesaurus sometime around Chapter Six.
Find Your Idea
Start with something meaningful. Or clever. Or wildly impractical. Just make sure it’s an idea you’ll still like after spending 40,000 words alone with it. Spoiler alert: You won’t.
Some folks start with a plot. Others start with a character. And the rest just open a blank page and hope divine inspiration shows up before the power bill does.
Pro tip: If you’ve thought, “This would make a great book,” it’s either genius… or you’re delirious from caffeine. Proceed anyway.
Create a Writing Routine
All the experts say to write every day. So you try:
- Monday: Stare at the screen.
- Tuesday: Alphabetize your spice rack.
- Wednesday: Rewrite your author bio 12 times.
- Thursday: Finally write something. It’s awful.
- Friday: Edit it into something less awful.
- Saturday: Reward yourself with pie.
- Sunday: Existential crisis.
Still, routines are good. Even a bad one is better than waiting for “the muse,” who’s usually late and smells like regret.
Outline Your Masterpiece
You’ve got options here:
- Sticky notes
- Story maps
- Spreadsheets
- Crayon drawings on napkins
Plan all you want, but by Chapter Three your characters will be making decisions you didn’t authorize, and the subplot you loved will have run off with the dog.
It’s fine. It’s called writing.
Write the First Draft (Lower Expectations First)
The first draft is not a book. It’s a thing that sort of resembles a story but mostly resembles a train wreck written in Times New Roman.
There will be clichés. And, there will be chapters you forget to number. Oh, and there will be sentences like: “He walked into the room and then… um… something happened?”
That’s okay. That’s writing. Just keep going.
Revise, Edit, Regret, Repeat
Now comes the real work. You’ll:
- Cut chapters you love.
- Rewrite scenes you barely remember writing.
- Argue with commas.
- Cry over synonyms.
At some point, you’ll find a paragraph that sings and think, “Did I write that?”
Yes. Yes, you did. And it’s probably surrounded by garbage. Fix it all.
Get Feedback (and Maybe Therapy)
When you finally share your work, you’ll learn things.
- Your pacing is off.
- Your characters are confusing.
- Your plot has a hole big enough to drive a bookmobile through.
And yet, you’ll survive it. In fact, you’ll get better. Unless you ask your mom for feedback. Then you’ll just get casseroles.
Choose Your Publishing Path (and Hang On Tight)
Traditional publishing: Great if you love rejection emails and waiting. Lots of waiting.
Self-publishing: Great if you love control, formatting nightmares, and explaining to your family that yes, it is a real book even if it’s on Amazon.
Either way, be prepared to work harder than you thought you would… and then double it.
Market Yourself Without Losing Your Soul
You’ll need a platform. That means:
- Social media (where you’ll slowly become your own unpaid intern)
- A website (that you will neglect)
- An email list (that you’ll forget to write to)
- A “personal brand” (whatever that means)
Oh, and launch graphics. So many launch graphics.
Celebrate (and Immediately Doubt Everything)
You did it. Hoorah, you wrote a book. And you survived. Your manuscript now lives in a file called Final_Final_REAL_FINAL_THISONE.docx.
Hold it. Smell it. Cry over it.
Then read the reviews, and wonder if you should have just opened a bakery.
🎯 Final Words of Encouragement (Kind Of):
Writing a book is brave. It’s vulnerable. It’s borderline masochistic. But if you’ve got a story burning inside you, then yes, go for it. And when it feels hard? That means you’re doing it right.
Welcome to the club.
We’ve got strong coffee, fragile egos, and a thousand unwritten stories between us.